#gamemasteradvice

GMuary happens to be going on right now and I have to get back up on my soapbox to disagree with a post I found on BlueSky the other day. Yes, homebrew is fantastic. Create your own game content, then share, or even sell it.

I want to make it very clear that I, as a Game/Dungeon Master and as a writer, am 100% in support of people creating their own worlds, spells, classes, subclasses, magic items, monsters and so on for their fantasy TableTop RolePlaying Games. Please, GM/DMs, fans, players, hear me loud and clear: IT’S totally okay to create your own content. You can completely run your game your way with your own…

I'm going to keep picking on @knigobi for a while because she's awesome and because the TableTop RPG hobby needs new Dungeon Masters like her to carry the torch.

Are we just rehashing the same Game Master advice over and over? The easy answer is, of course, yes. Yes we are. I found it fascinating when I first really got into watching TableTop RolePlaying Game content on YouTube that I was hearing pretty much the same questions and answers that we used to hear/give at conventions back in the ancient days of the 1990s. Much of the same advice that has been…

Today we're talking about what encounters are for new Game Masters and Players. Encounters are where the rubber hits the road for adventurers. It's what they do.

I have started leaning more into encounter building over adventure writing. You’ve gotten the group assembled, character sheets in hand, ready to go. You’ve done all the prep work and Session Zero stuff. Everyone’s all excited. Now what? Welcome to the foundation upon which all great tabletop roleplaying adventures are built. This is the meat and potatoes of the module (or peas and carrots for…

Ah books! Books on every topic imaginable are all resources for the Game Master of TableTop RolePlaying Games. Books for just about any TTRPG can be valuable in whichever game you choose with a little imagination.

Don’t be intimidated if something says it’s for a game you don’t run. As a Game Master of 40+ years, I have become a bit of a pack rat. I have a huge eclectic collection of books from games no longer in print, magazines long gone, and PDFs that take up a lot of memory. I leave no stone unturned in my quest for more GM resources. Depending on the game, everything is a potential GM…

Physical and mental health matter. Please take care of yourself. Stay hydrated. Take your meds if you need to. Meditate if that's your thing. But take care of you before you take care of your Game Master responsibilities.

One of the first things we need to address before Session Zero is the Game Master. By now hopefully everyone is familiar with what a Game Master is and what they do. We know the GM is often the giant cog on which most TableTop RolePlaying Games run. The GM is somewhat akin to a parental role when it comes to building a game, nurturing it along, and making it exciting from one week to the…

Someone out there saide there might be people who *don't* want to be a Game Master. That it's somehow not easy or fun for everyone. That's true. Some people do enjoy just being a player. That's cool. Being a GM is fun, though! Join us.

It’s fun, I promise! Unleash your inner theatre kid! I keep saying how easy and fun it is being a Game Master. Today I want to focus on just the fun stuff. Here are three things I absolutely love about being a GM. (*Please note you can substitute “Dungeon Master” or “DM” any place I say GM. It’s all the same title.) I’m going to mostly speak in terms of fantasy games, but a lot of this can be…

It's only as difficult as you make it out to be. Please don't let anyone on the Internet chase you off of being a Game Master. I recommend ever TTRPG player try it out at least once.

I’ll call it “The Art of Not Freaking Out.” The Dungeon Master, or Game Master as I prefer to call it, has the dubious pleasure of being the only player at the table to play not one, not two, but every character that doesn’t have a human player behind them. That’s a lot of different roles. It’s the most roleplaying you’ll ever get to do in a four or six hour session. Plus, if the Non Player…